Pleasant aesthetics aside, the restaurant had its controversies. During the 2008 presidential election, co-owner Gatti was accused of intimidating black employees at The Grill, admitting to writing “KKK” on time cards in a move to steer their votes against Barack Obama.

At the time, Gatti’s lawyer, pointing out that co-owner Watson is black, said Gatti’s “private communications” had been taken out of context.